The Red Sox acquired Victor Martinez for Justin Masterson and a couple minor league arms in Hagadone and Price. Some pretty good arms given up, but this was a far more reasonable price than the one that was reportedly being discussed for Adrian Gonzalez. The Sox also flipped LaRoche to the Braves for Casey Kotchman. I guess they wanted to get themselves a good defensive 1st baseman for the stretch run. It will be interesting to see how they go about using all of these guys and how much Martinez catches.
The White Sox received Jake Peavy for four young arms: LHP Aaron Poreda, LHP Clayton Richard, RHP Dexter Carter and RHP Adam Russell. Bizarre as this is essentially the same move that was agreed to in May which Peavy vetoed. It is unclear in what capacity Peavy will be available this year, but he is signed through I believe 2012 so it is a move for the future.
The Marlins made a great move acquiring Nick Johnson from the Nats. Lefty Aaron Thompson was shipped out, I don't know much about him but I do know that Johnson should be huge for that Florida lineup. They desperately needed someone to get on-base ahead of Hanley and they should bat Johnson second, though that remains to be seen.
For some reason the Reds gave up Edwin Encarnacion and someone else for Scott Rolen. I'd rather have Edwin despite his struggles this year.
Yanks picked up Jerry Hairston Jr. So much for countering the Bo Sox.
That is all I have seen...not sure if any more will come rolling in late, but Halladay is reportedly staying put.
Friday, July 31, 2009
Blues Playoff Baseball
The NV Blues finished first in their division, and nabbed the number 2 seed in the congested 23 team playoff for the DCMSBL cup (just made that up).
We play the Blue Jays who pounded the Alexandria Yanks by a wide margin in the #15 vs #18 seed matchup. For those of you interested, the game will not be televised (marketing rights, its complicated), but you are welcomed to join us at Langley High School for a 3 pm Saturday ball game. Blues should advance as they are the stronger, more experienced team, but a dagger of a ruling could shake up their chances. If you remember an earlier posting marked a day that a bat throwing incident took place. Ambulances were called, games were suspended, etc etc. Apparently the umpires or opposing coach reported the incident to the league and the commisioner of the DCMSBL wasn't to happy about it.
This email was to our Coach from the league Commisioner.
1)Yes I am schocked that this league actually has a commisioner (nice life)
2) The player is our starting LF and lead-off hitter.
The email read....
As of now, the League Committee has determined that Brian Simmons is suspended for the remainder of the season, meaning that he is ineligible for the playoffs. The deliberate act of throwing a bat out of frustration, anger, whatever will not be ignored by the league regardless of measures taken by the team.
Jerry Klemm, D.C.
Commissioner
DCMSBL
As you know Bud Selig is 75 years old so I heard Jerry Klemm is on the list of potential candidates to replace Selig when he leaves office. With rulings like this Klemm is well on his way to taking on baseballs important issues like Steroid use.
We play the Blue Jays who pounded the Alexandria Yanks by a wide margin in the #15 vs #18 seed matchup. For those of you interested, the game will not be televised (marketing rights, its complicated), but you are welcomed to join us at Langley High School for a 3 pm Saturday ball game. Blues should advance as they are the stronger, more experienced team, but a dagger of a ruling could shake up their chances. If you remember an earlier posting marked a day that a bat throwing incident took place. Ambulances were called, games were suspended, etc etc. Apparently the umpires or opposing coach reported the incident to the league and the commisioner of the DCMSBL wasn't to happy about it.
This email was to our Coach from the league Commisioner.
1)Yes I am schocked that this league actually has a commisioner (nice life)
2) The player is our starting LF and lead-off hitter.
The email read....
As of now, the League Committee has determined that Brian Simmons is suspended for the remainder of the season, meaning that he is ineligible for the playoffs. The deliberate act of throwing a bat out of frustration, anger, whatever will not be ignored by the league regardless of measures taken by the team.
Jerry Klemm, D.C.
Commissioner
DCMSBL
As you know Bud Selig is 75 years old so I heard Jerry Klemm is on the list of potential candidates to replace Selig when he leaves office. With rulings like this Klemm is well on his way to taking on baseballs important issues like Steroid use.
Talking Trades
The O's just shipped out left-handed closer George Sherill to the Dodgers, who now have a bullpen which should be completely dominant.
The Pirates have now traded away 13 players from their 08 opening day roster. Most recently shipped were tom gorzelanny and john grabow, a pair of lefties, to the Cubs. I will say I loved the move they made shipping the disgruntled Ian Snell and piece of shit Jack Wilson to the Mariner's, pulling Jeff Clement, a top catching prospect (who may or may not be able to catch, but most certainly can hit, and if he does it while catching this move will have been an absolute heist).
Great move by the Cardinals to get Holliday. That lineup just got ridiculously better and Holliday is going to feel like he's back at Coors hitting alongside Pujols. I'm sure Billy Beane brought the A's back plenty of talent, but the move immediately makes St. Louis a bonafide contender and was therefore a no-brainer.
The other big move was obviously the Phillies acquiring Cliff Lee. Doing so without sending out top pitching prospect Drabek was a brilliant move. Makes sense for the Indians and while they got some nice prospects, I would have held out for Drabek. This also, I would imagine, leaves the door open for the Phils acquiring Halladay still, though it won't happen..could still be considered I suppose.
So today we will sit around and wait to see what happens. Certainly the Yanks, Sox and Rays will all be looking to make a move, and it will be interesting to see if any one team makes a move, if the others feel compelled to counter.
Adrian Gonzalez and Victor Martinez appear to be the most likely big names to be dealt - I think Victor is definitely going to get moved. Halladay talks are not dead as was reported, but it's starting to look more like he may stay put. Fantasy baseball players everywhere will be watching to see if Chad Qualls is shipped and a few other closers. Should be interested and we will update as news comes in with a little more analysis on the prospects and such from here on out.
The Pirates have now traded away 13 players from their 08 opening day roster. Most recently shipped were tom gorzelanny and john grabow, a pair of lefties, to the Cubs. I will say I loved the move they made shipping the disgruntled Ian Snell and piece of shit Jack Wilson to the Mariner's, pulling Jeff Clement, a top catching prospect (who may or may not be able to catch, but most certainly can hit, and if he does it while catching this move will have been an absolute heist).
Great move by the Cardinals to get Holliday. That lineup just got ridiculously better and Holliday is going to feel like he's back at Coors hitting alongside Pujols. I'm sure Billy Beane brought the A's back plenty of talent, but the move immediately makes St. Louis a bonafide contender and was therefore a no-brainer.
The other big move was obviously the Phillies acquiring Cliff Lee. Doing so without sending out top pitching prospect Drabek was a brilliant move. Makes sense for the Indians and while they got some nice prospects, I would have held out for Drabek. This also, I would imagine, leaves the door open for the Phils acquiring Halladay still, though it won't happen..could still be considered I suppose.
So today we will sit around and wait to see what happens. Certainly the Yanks, Sox and Rays will all be looking to make a move, and it will be interesting to see if any one team makes a move, if the others feel compelled to counter.
Adrian Gonzalez and Victor Martinez appear to be the most likely big names to be dealt - I think Victor is definitely going to get moved. Halladay talks are not dead as was reported, but it's starting to look more like he may stay put. Fantasy baseball players everywhere will be watching to see if Chad Qualls is shipped and a few other closers. Should be interested and we will update as news comes in with a little more analysis on the prospects and such from here on out.
Thursday, July 30, 2009
You Had Me at Hello
Just arrived back in the actual state of New York after snapping a 2-month plus absence from beautiful Cana...err Western New York. Apparently, the 5 years of bitching about how much WNY sucks means only one thing - I'm a hypocrite.
Some notes from the trip:
As Millman mentioned, I watched a 2-1 Bisons victory as Nelson Figeroa out-dueled a man I believed to be Dice-K, only with more control and less-electric stuff. Crhis Duncan and Mike Lamb did nothing. And there were 4 hits in the first inning, which we missed - and about 5 hits total in the game. Enjoyable pitching duel with a couple nice defensive plays however.
Brilliant fireworks display, was much more than I expected and the field looked cool as hell when they shut off the lights and it was moonlit...Dominic the Donkey playing as some background music to this wondrous display
More importantly though, what a bizarre place Buffalo is. You drive through the city and it's like being on a country road. It looks like a small city with some reasonably sized tall buildings, ramps everywhere and four lanes. Yet you'll find yourself the only car driving in sight. Always is strange to me at least.
Most importantly however. The greater Buffalo area supports what I discovered to be far and away the greatest establishment of all-time: the Amherst Off-Track Betting facility. I had heard the rumors, but it surpassed my greatest expectations. For one, the place was spotless, even the bathrooms were clean. It was huge, with a large sitting area, a smoker's room, then another "dining" area and then, amazingly, a bar. In fact, a nice bar. 2$ bottles all day every day, Blue Light, Bud Light, the works. Reasonably priced food, Fries for under 3 bucks, with enough to feed about 4 starving children. The only drawback was the high-tech betting machines, which I couldn't figure out in time cost me hitting the first Daily Double of the year at Saratoga. Either way, the place was beautiful.
Hit up the Niagara Wine Trail for some wine tasting. Ended up at a bar in Lewiston followed by a restaurant. This was with my girlfriend and her parents and siblings. My girlfriend doesn't remember anything about the dinner other than me knocking the macaroni and cheese off her fork every time she went to pick it up. Good times.
*Side note, my buddy just called me and said that two more names were released from that steroids list A-Rod was on: Manny and D Ortiz. No big surprises there really. Manny already got caught and Ortiz has had a very bad season.
Some notes from the trip:
As Millman mentioned, I watched a 2-1 Bisons victory as Nelson Figeroa out-dueled a man I believed to be Dice-K, only with more control and less-electric stuff. Crhis Duncan and Mike Lamb did nothing. And there were 4 hits in the first inning, which we missed - and about 5 hits total in the game. Enjoyable pitching duel with a couple nice defensive plays however.
Brilliant fireworks display, was much more than I expected and the field looked cool as hell when they shut off the lights and it was moonlit...Dominic the Donkey playing as some background music to this wondrous displayMore importantly though, what a bizarre place Buffalo is. You drive through the city and it's like being on a country road. It looks like a small city with some reasonably sized tall buildings, ramps everywhere and four lanes. Yet you'll find yourself the only car driving in sight. Always is strange to me at least.
Most importantly however. The greater Buffalo area supports what I discovered to be far and away the greatest establishment of all-time: the Amherst Off-Track Betting facility. I had heard the rumors, but it surpassed my greatest expectations. For one, the place was spotless, even the bathrooms were clean. It was huge, with a large sitting area, a smoker's room, then another "dining" area and then, amazingly, a bar. In fact, a nice bar. 2$ bottles all day every day, Blue Light, Bud Light, the works. Reasonably priced food, Fries for under 3 bucks, with enough to feed about 4 starving children. The only drawback was the high-tech betting machines, which I couldn't figure out in time cost me hitting the first Daily Double of the year at Saratoga. Either way, the place was beautiful.
Hit up the Niagara Wine Trail for some wine tasting. Ended up at a bar in Lewiston followed by a restaurant. This was with my girlfriend and her parents and siblings. My girlfriend doesn't remember anything about the dinner other than me knocking the macaroni and cheese off her fork every time she went to pick it up. Good times.
*Side note, my buddy just called me and said that two more names were released from that steroids list A-Rod was on: Manny and D Ortiz. No big surprises there really. Manny already got caught and Ortiz has had a very bad season.
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Random thoughts...
*Gotta imagine someone will take a flyer on Vick...I at least hope someone does. Though going to the UFL and dominating and coming back to the NFL around the same time his supposed suspension is over would be equally as thrilling. Heres hoping Vick comes back fighting like a dog and kills it (Come and get me PETA).
* Brett Favre decided not to come back...I thought it was a lock he would. Though I am just scared this is his ploy to get out of training camp....he better be done for good.
*Mulldog has been in Buffalo the past few days without access to a computer. Good to see that he is using his time effectively, going to Buffalo Bisons games. Mentioned Nelson Figuroa had a dominant pitching outing and there were some buck nasty fireworks. Mike lamb and Chris Duncan were a couple "notable" MLB players playing some triple A ball.
*T.O show is great, probably more to come on that.
* Brett Favre decided not to come back...I thought it was a lock he would. Though I am just scared this is his ploy to get out of training camp....he better be done for good.
*Mulldog has been in Buffalo the past few days without access to a computer. Good to see that he is using his time effectively, going to Buffalo Bisons games. Mentioned Nelson Figuroa had a dominant pitching outing and there were some buck nasty fireworks. Mike lamb and Chris Duncan were a couple "notable" MLB players playing some triple A ball.
*T.O show is great, probably more to come on that.
Monday, July 27, 2009
Scott Van Pelt is as pewch as you and I..
Went up to Dewey Beach this weekend with the roomates. Pretty enjoyable trip was made even more enjoyable when we ran into the ledgendary ESPN and Sportcenter broadcaster Scott van Pelt. Aparrently SVP is a Dewey Beach regular and has a place down there. SVP was posted up at the bar with a lot of dudes and a couple ladies (but mostly dudes) sipping an ice cold bud light. Felt it was neccessary to throw out a standard, "There he is SVP."
Enjoy this clip of him calling a lady he must have met in Dewey that somone got a hold of.
SVP you pass my checklist, every single one of them.
Friday, July 24, 2009
Dunk City
If you are bored...here is a good link from Sports Illustrated's Web Site. About 10 clips of some of the top dunk, high school, college, NBA, Olympics...enjoy.
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/basketball/nba/07/23/dunking/index.html?eref=T1
*Vince Carter's Olympic dunks is classic.
*Never saw the Willy warren one before, pretty unreal.
*Patrick Chewing takes a couple serious facials.
*Nothing better than the "Send it in Jerome" call on Lane's dunk.
*Baron Davis dunk over AK-47 was fantastic, reminds me of that great Golden state run.
*Danny Green laying out Greg Paulus was great. Paulus better get used to his back on the ground if he is trying to play QB for SU this year.
*John starks is classic
*Lebron sucks, Sports Illustrated must have felt bad for him to include him in this package. All he does is get dunked on these days himself (what a lame clip..can't believe there was so much hype over LBJ getting dunked on and it was just a terrible video).
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/basketball/nba/07/23/dunking/index.html?eref=T1
*Vince Carter's Olympic dunks is classic.
*Never saw the Willy warren one before, pretty unreal.
*Patrick Chewing takes a couple serious facials.
*Nothing better than the "Send it in Jerome" call on Lane's dunk.
*Baron Davis dunk over AK-47 was fantastic, reminds me of that great Golden state run.
*Danny Green laying out Greg Paulus was great. Paulus better get used to his back on the ground if he is trying to play QB for SU this year.
*John starks is classic
*Lebron sucks, Sports Illustrated must have felt bad for him to include him in this package. All he does is get dunked on these days himself (what a lame clip..can't believe there was so much hype over LBJ getting dunked on and it was just a terrible video).
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Shhhh!
Don't tell anyone but Mark Buerhle is 3 outs away from a perfect game. If he gives up a hit or walk in the top of the 9th, please credit the revolution for the jinx!
Legal Woes on the mind...
3 Interesting Legal Troubles going on in the world of sports right now. I was listening to the Junkies this morning (106.7 the Fan -Washington DC) who had on ESPN lawyer on this morning (whose name escapes me) to discuss the Roethlisberger case, Michael Vick, and Erin Andrews.
Ben Roethlisberger:
Big Ben is being sued by a women for I believe $400K in damages for an alleged sex crime. The woman has not filed a criminal case with the police, but rather just a civil case against Ben Roethlisberger. The story goes that Ben had called down to the front desk while staying in a Lake Tahoe hotel to complain his TV didn't work, and when she arrived is when the sexual crime happened. Apparently though this happened a year ago, she did not come forward because she believed everyone would side with the NFL star.
She said the security chief, Guy Hyder, told her she was "over reacting," that "most girls would feel lucky to get to have sex with someone like Ben Roethlisberger."
ESPN Lawyers take: The reason she may not be pursuing a criminal charge is because she doesn't want this thing to prolong and shake out a la the Kobe Bryan Case a few years back. Essentially he said that if they can't pull any medical reports of her visiting the hospital and showing signs of forced sex or rape, she had no case. He did say he did a background check on her lawyers and they were solid, though they never have tackled on anyone famous. Millman prediction...claim is dropped.
Michael Vick:
As we all know Michael Vick has been out of jail for sometime now and is finally off of house arrest. How does he celebrate? Reports are that he was at a strip club in Virginia with Allen Iverson just the other night. Not that going to a strip club is illegal, but generally I think we know bad things tend to happen. Don't you think Vick could be smart enough to realize, hey, I am meeting with Commissioner Goodell in 3 or 4 days, maybe I should just lay low for a couple more days. The ESPN lawyer was fairly adamant that Vick had served his time and should be allowed to be employed by the National Football League. He mentioned that he was not the slightest bit impressed by the 8-9 lawyers Vick had, and thought they could have done plenty more to lessen the severity of the sentence that Vick served. He was hoping that Vick would be smart enough to talk to Rodger G. one on one instead of his team of lawyers to hopefully prove to him that he was truly sorry and ready to move on, and that his meeting wasn't just a scripted act.
Millman prediction: not really sure. Goodell has really been strict with players and suspensions. This is kind of a "landmark"" decision in his tenure, as I don't believe anyone under his watch has come back to the league after sitting over a year because of jail time. I for one think Vick should be reinstated and that an additional suspension is additional punishment. Ultimately I think Goodell will rule the same, but am not confident.
Erin Andrews:
EA is seeking legal action against whoever had decided to take videos of her through a peephole. The ESPN lawyer mentioned that this happened in several locations so police have generally stayed out of this search because it falls in multiple jurisdictions. ESPN is in full support of EA and the lawyer today said that they think it could be an inside job because Erin Andrews is always busy and all over the United States that it would take someone to know her schedule to be able to pull this off. Another interesting twist to the story is that ESPN has banned the NY Post from appearing on its programming (for at least a day) for putting a still shot in its paper of Andrews.
Millman prediction: Not sure where this case goes. Might be hard to find out who did this, but I am sure ESPN will spend quite a lot of resources to get to the bottom of this. Still to early in its development to know for sure.
Ben Roethlisberger:
Big Ben is being sued by a women for I believe $400K in damages for an alleged sex crime. The woman has not filed a criminal case with the police, but rather just a civil case against Ben Roethlisberger. The story goes that Ben had called down to the front desk while staying in a Lake Tahoe hotel to complain his TV didn't work, and when she arrived is when the sexual crime happened. Apparently though this happened a year ago, she did not come forward because she believed everyone would side with the NFL star.
She said the security chief, Guy Hyder, told her she was "over reacting," that "most girls would feel lucky to get to have sex with someone like Ben Roethlisberger."
ESPN Lawyers take: The reason she may not be pursuing a criminal charge is because she doesn't want this thing to prolong and shake out a la the Kobe Bryan Case a few years back. Essentially he said that if they can't pull any medical reports of her visiting the hospital and showing signs of forced sex or rape, she had no case. He did say he did a background check on her lawyers and they were solid, though they never have tackled on anyone famous. Millman prediction...claim is dropped.
Michael Vick:
As we all know Michael Vick has been out of jail for sometime now and is finally off of house arrest. How does he celebrate? Reports are that he was at a strip club in Virginia with Allen Iverson just the other night. Not that going to a strip club is illegal, but generally I think we know bad things tend to happen. Don't you think Vick could be smart enough to realize, hey, I am meeting with Commissioner Goodell in 3 or 4 days, maybe I should just lay low for a couple more days. The ESPN lawyer was fairly adamant that Vick had served his time and should be allowed to be employed by the National Football League. He mentioned that he was not the slightest bit impressed by the 8-9 lawyers Vick had, and thought they could have done plenty more to lessen the severity of the sentence that Vick served. He was hoping that Vick would be smart enough to talk to Rodger G. one on one instead of his team of lawyers to hopefully prove to him that he was truly sorry and ready to move on, and that his meeting wasn't just a scripted act.
Millman prediction: not really sure. Goodell has really been strict with players and suspensions. This is kind of a "landmark"" decision in his tenure, as I don't believe anyone under his watch has come back to the league after sitting over a year because of jail time. I for one think Vick should be reinstated and that an additional suspension is additional punishment. Ultimately I think Goodell will rule the same, but am not confident.
Erin Andrews:
EA is seeking legal action against whoever had decided to take videos of her through a peephole. The ESPN lawyer mentioned that this happened in several locations so police have generally stayed out of this search because it falls in multiple jurisdictions. ESPN is in full support of EA and the lawyer today said that they think it could be an inside job because Erin Andrews is always busy and all over the United States that it would take someone to know her schedule to be able to pull this off. Another interesting twist to the story is that ESPN has banned the NY Post from appearing on its programming (for at least a day) for putting a still shot in its paper of Andrews.
Millman prediction: Not sure where this case goes. Might be hard to find out who did this, but I am sure ESPN will spend quite a lot of resources to get to the bottom of this. Still to early in its development to know for sure.
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Quick Hits
* Denzel Washington is apparently Chad Ocho Cinco's new coach/psychologist. Ocho is apparently turning back to the fun loving player we have all grown to love over the past couple years instead of the whining complaining one we saw last year. “He got on me about the way I handled myself last off season,” Ochocinco recalled in a phone conversation last week. “He wasn’t being gentle. He said, ‘You know what? You need to straighten up and stop fussin’ about something you have no control over. Make it fun again because it sure looks better when you do it that way.’ That’s all I needed to hear, especially from somebody like him.” Is there a situation Denzel Washington can't handle? If he can turn around 85 from having another 53 reception season for 540 yards, then it may be his finest work yet.
*Sticking on the Bengal receiver (ex-Bengal anyhow) front, lets take a look at the latest from the pony-tailed T.J Houshmanzadeh (championship!). T.J is apparently boycotting Madden '10 because he is unhappy with his 91 player rating. He went on to say, "I'm going to miss not playing it, but until they do me right, I'm not playing it any more." Why are receivers the biggest divas in all pro sports? If you ask me a 91 is a fairly good ranking, not to mention I believe Madden was scaling back all of their rankings to make superstars more valuable...*Former UFC fighter Kimo Leopoldo is not dead, I repeat, not dead. Rumors surfaced on the Internet about the death of Kimo, and was later "confirmed" by various sources. It turns out Kimo was not dead after he told Yahoo! Sports in a phone interview, “I knew I wasn’t dead,” No Kimo, you are indeed not dead, just incredibly stupid.
*NBA movement around the league.
Pudgy Sean May signed with the Kings.
Skeleton Matt Barnes signed with the Magic.
Jarret Jack signed with the Raptors.
Odom is still undecided.
Andre Miller may be on the move, likewise with Big Baby Davis.
Steve Nash will rot away his career in Phoenix. Given Nash's age, I can't imagine them making another huge run after totally breaking down the team.
*JP Losman has officially signed with the UFL and Las Vegas to team with Jim Fassel. What a marriage this should turn out to be. The funny thing is that Losman (unless Vick ends up here) is being called the poster boy for the UFL. I don't know if this is sadder for J.P or the UFL.
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Seriously? Robert Pattinson?
Hi I'm Tommy, I'm Pewch and I live in Hollywood. Let's move on shall we?
Listen, we all have that one friend who, despite the fact that he openly brags about not showering and his horrible eating habits, manages to hook up with a massive amount of ladies. I feel like all of Robert Pattinson's friends must feel that way about him. I'm sure he's a delightful person and my one friend, who is a whore, even said he gave her a great tip when she checked his coat at a post-Oscar party. My point is, WHY? Why do girls have facebook updates about getting bitten by this man? Why, is this sick individual who had to be forced to shower on the set of the first Twilight movie, such a sex symbol. Am I jealous, of f*cking course!! I shower twice a day, I try and eat healthy, I've even been known to jog once in a while. Do you want to know what the last facebook update about me said? It said "My brother is coming home to visit". SEXY!! thanks sis! I don't mean to start off on a bitter note and please trust me when I say that if Robert Pattinson approached me about working with him, going out for a pint or not showering together I would be on board in second. I'm just saying that maybe it's time for all the women of the world to stop fantasizing about a dirty British guy pretending to be a vampire.
On a happier note I will leave you with Brand Spanking new HOF'er Rickey Henderson's advice on working out: (this is a real quote, I swear) "Rickey don't lift weights, before bed Rickey does 200 sit ups, 100 push ups and eats a big bowl of Ice Cream."
Three's Company: The Pewch Revolution
I have a treat for the very few devoted readers out there, a reward for remaining faithful if you will. For those of you who are pewch and don't check the blog ( I am talking about you reccs and steve bell) go fly a kite.
We are adding a special guest commentator to our arsenal, and at the same time broadening our scope of coverage. We have been fairly dedicated to sports, randomly sprinkling in tidbits of pop culture. In an attempt to appeal to a wider fan base, and blow up to the best bloggers alive, we have added famous Hollywood superstar Tommy Bechtold to the staff. Thomas is living out in LA right now trying to make the dream come true. His speciality, breaking Hollywood dirt, and he knows his sports as well so don't you worry. Not only will Tommy be sure to bring some serious breaking news, pop culture references, and sporting tidbits, but the man in a genius and when he makes it big me and mulldog will be sure to ride his coattails through this forum.
TommyB, Mulldog, and Millman....The Pewch Revolution...
Something in the Water
Last night the NV Blues had one of the strangest most bizarre games in some time. I knew something wasn't right when we arrived at the field and there was an eerie sky above the field. It was extremely overcast, a mist of rain, and it looked like a hurricane was about to hit. The weather stayed pretty consistent all night and never affected the game. However, someone put a voodoo spell on this blues team, or the the team Gatorade jug was contaminated.
With the recent string of games we have had, and a lack of any pitchers to show up for the game, coach had no choice, but to use a positional player as his starter. Lucky for the other team, that guy was me (would have probably been more successful throwing the kid in this picture). I warmed up in the bullpen with my catcher and had a really good session. It started off with me hitting the backstop on an errant toss. Then proceeding to ask him how exactly I hold a runner on and pitch from the stretch. We then decided to run over signs. I told him to put a single finger down every pitch, line up over the middle of the plate, and pray.
It didn't really get much prettier from there on out. I gave up a first inning 2 run bomb to their 3 hitter (to my defense the guy crushed the ball last time we played him, and he hit it out on a rinky dink ballpark, 320 down the line are we serious). Third inning I gave up another 2 run donk that just cleared the fence as well. The man at the plate clearly had no respect for me as he jacked a 3-0 cock shot. It was then I was immediately yanked and assumed my normal position at shortstop. Final Stat line:
2 1/3 Innings Pitched. 4 Earned Runs. 2 Walks. 1 K. (The K was unreal, got him out with a sick fastball painted on the black).
Things got stranger. This had happened once already, but it is the 6th inning in a tie ballgame and Icky gets picked off at 2nd to end the inning. To his defense, he was clearly safe, and it was the second time this ump made a bad call on a pick off attempt. Dave gets up from 2nd base and absolutely loses it. He started screaming, "The ball beat me, but he never applied the tag!" "Your out of position sir." He then walks off the field giving the ump he referred to as Colonel Sanders a death stare. Gets to the edge of the dugout an just screams at the top of his lungs, "HORRIBLE."
He then lunges to the back of the wall running and throws his glove. While he is doing this he loses his footing and trips and his belly goes straight into the bench. He gets so bad that he punches the wall straight out of the St. John Fisher playbook (for those of you that don't know he broke his wrist in his college career pulling a similar move against Fisher). He then started to hyperventilate and had to be escorted back to CF to make sure he didn't lose it. Ladies and Gents, your 4th grade teacher molding the future of America.
If things couldn't get any worse, our leadoff hitter strikes out to end the last inning leaving the game tied and a runner stranded on third. He is so mad that he is heading back to the dugout, and hucks the bat against the fence. The bat obviously ricochets off the fence, strikes our helmet less teammate square in the back of the head and makes the loudest noise ever. Guy goes straight down and blood is dripping. 911 is called and 5 minutes later a fire truck arrives on scene.
Guy ends up being okay. We can't get another inning in because of the time. Game ends in a tie unless they decide to call it a forfeit because we sent our own teammate to the hospital and ruined the game. This team is a joke.
Bettin' Baseball
With nothing going on in sports of note, I was looking at some baseball lines and there is an appealing card today with lots of betting opportunities, let's start a little running thread with a $50 bankroll and see what the BCA can do. 1 unit = $10
Cubs +110 2 units to win 2.2 (20 bucks to win 22). Not often that you can find the Cubbies with Rich Harden on the mound at plus money. Against Joe Blanton this looks like a gift. On the road, but plus money here is just far too nice to pass up. Phils are red hot and it usually takes a power arm to cool a hot offense, that is what we have here. Harden is coming off one of his sharpest outings too. Soriano has started to hit the ball and this Cubs team is definitely going to heat up down the stretch, get in before it's too late on the value.
Baltimore +160 1 unit to win 1.6. Sergio Mitre -180 really? Rich Hill is capable of getting some K's, he could put together a decent enough outing and the Yanks staff is due to give up some runs.
A's -140 1.4 units to win 1. Putting nearly the entire bankroll on the line. Like this spot for the Giambi-less A's as Braden is a craft lefty which should neutralize much of the Twins best offensive pieces. I think Giambi being out helps the A's as well, a stone wall would be better defensively at first and he isn't hitting anyway.
Cubs +110 2 units to win 2.2 (20 bucks to win 22). Not often that you can find the Cubbies with Rich Harden on the mound at plus money. Against Joe Blanton this looks like a gift. On the road, but plus money here is just far too nice to pass up. Phils are red hot and it usually takes a power arm to cool a hot offense, that is what we have here. Harden is coming off one of his sharpest outings too. Soriano has started to hit the ball and this Cubs team is definitely going to heat up down the stretch, get in before it's too late on the value.
Baltimore +160 1 unit to win 1.6. Sergio Mitre -180 really? Rich Hill is capable of getting some K's, he could put together a decent enough outing and the Yanks staff is due to give up some runs.
A's -140 1.4 units to win 1. Putting nearly the entire bankroll on the line. Like this spot for the Giambi-less A's as Braden is a craft lefty which should neutralize much of the Twins best offensive pieces. I think Giambi being out helps the A's as well, a stone wall would be better defensively at first and he isn't hitting anyway.
Monday, July 20, 2009
Weekend Round-Up
For at least a little while fans got this Tom Watson.
Ultimately, however, this Tom Watson reared its ugly head.
Say what you want about what a great story Tom Watson and the British Open was this weekend. It bored me and everyone else to tears. Even the playoff was fittingly boring. Watson completely choked. His putt on 18 was laughable, he didn't even give himself a chance to win it. And Mike Tirico's, "Thank you Tom Watson, for making sure we will never forget this year's British Open" elicited a laugh out of me at least. Hilarious, this open was terrible and dry. It was like a tennis tournament with no Federer or Nadal. And was Phil Mickelson not somewhere cursing his wife? Really? Stewart Cink and Tom Watson? This would have been a perfect opportunity for lefty.
As the trade deadline approaches, nothing has yet to happen with Roy Halladay. It's somewhat hard to imagine him not either staying in Toronto or heading to Philly. Anyway, Halladay fresh off dominating the Bo Sox can't hurt his trade value. In the meantime, Felipe Lopez was traded from the Nats to the Brew Crew, who finally realized that Craig Counsell is a huge drop-off from Rickie Weeks.
We celebrated the 40th anniversary of us not going to the moon.
Oh and some no-name (ie, any cyclist not named Lance Armstrong) is leading the Tour de Who the Fuck Cares.
Friday, July 17, 2009
Sportscenter Not Top 10 Ridiculously Poor Ordering As Usual, ESPN You're Terrible
Just saw the not top 10, in some celebrity outdoor bowling event they showed a Lisa Leslie gutter ball followed by a thunderous strike by a pumped, almost scary, John Stamos...upon further review Stamos was called on a foot fault. Hilarious.
I write this for the fact that it is hilarious to me, and also as a dedication to reader Curtis, the biggest fan of foot faults I know, and I'm pretty sure the only man to ever call someone out on a foot fault at Sunny's, the fine establishment in beautiful Fredonia, NY.
Somehow I think John Stamos will get over it, forever:
While we're on foot faults, how about a little Andy Roddick action:
Yes, the British Open is this boring.
I write this for the fact that it is hilarious to me, and also as a dedication to reader Curtis, the biggest fan of foot faults I know, and I'm pretty sure the only man to ever call someone out on a foot fault at Sunny's, the fine establishment in beautiful Fredonia, NY.
Somehow I think John Stamos will get over it, forever:
While we're on foot faults, how about a little Andy Roddick action:
Yes, the British Open is this boring.
Thursday, July 16, 2009
NBA Summer League
What we've learned so far:
Blake Griffin is killing it.
Jordan Hill does in fact suck.
The Kings are hiding John Bryant on the bench obviously in an attempt not to catch the attention of the rest of the league.
Anthony Morrow just topped teammate Anthony Randolph's 42 point game with 47 himself. That Warriors team is going to be fun to watch, if nothing else, this year.
J-Flynn and Tony Douglas leading the Vegas league in assists per game with 10.5 each.
Brandon Jennings is playing well with a ridiculous 3.6 spg, over 8 assists..though his shooting hasn't been great.
Nick Young, Joey Dorsey and Andray Blatche are all dominating.
Eric Gordon has it going.
Dante Cunningham is hoisting, with far less success than he had last year.
Steph Curry is struggling to adapt, shooting 32%.
Not much to learn from this as returning players always kill it..always encouragin / discouraging to see what the rookies do...for my Knicks, I like the amount of assists Douglas is piling up, but Jordan Hill has all the looks of a complete bust.
Blake Griffin is killing it.
Jordan Hill does in fact suck.
The Kings are hiding John Bryant on the bench obviously in an attempt not to catch the attention of the rest of the league.
Anthony Morrow just topped teammate Anthony Randolph's 42 point game with 47 himself. That Warriors team is going to be fun to watch, if nothing else, this year.
J-Flynn and Tony Douglas leading the Vegas league in assists per game with 10.5 each.
Brandon Jennings is playing well with a ridiculous 3.6 spg, over 8 assists..though his shooting hasn't been great.
Nick Young, Joey Dorsey and Andray Blatche are all dominating.
Eric Gordon has it going.
Dante Cunningham is hoisting, with far less success than he had last year.
Steph Curry is struggling to adapt, shooting 32%.
Not much to learn from this as returning players always kill it..always encouragin / discouraging to see what the rookies do...for my Knicks, I like the amount of assists Douglas is piling up, but Jordan Hill has all the looks of a complete bust.
Summer of ....T.O?
Alright we are about to jump into training camp coming up in just a few weeks, but Buffalo Bills fans will already get hit with a high dose of T.O in the very near future. Whether is be radio interviews on the Ryan Seacrest show, being torn to shreds by Supermodels on tv, appearing on Jimmy Kimmel tonight, or his new VH-1 Reality show starting this coming Monday...TO is about to have his adaptation of the "Summer of George."
God knows if T.O still played for the Cowboys, or anyone else for that matter, I would be furious about the constant talk about him. T.O and Brett Favre news have ruled every off season for the entire decade.....but since Owens is now a Bill, it is probably the coolest thing ever.
Below are a couple random thoughts T.O shared with hunk Ryan Seacrest (who by the way secured a $45M dollar deal for his idol contract or something crazy like that).
Owen's on how the deal went down in Buffalo:
“I told them, ‘I didn’t expect to sign today. I just wanted to come and see the facility and feel the place out and meet the coaches and see where it would go.’ And a few minutes later I end up being a Bill before I left the building.”
Owen's when asked if he was a "humble guy":
“When people see me on the football field, they mistake my flamboyance and passion for the game as arrogance,” said Owens. ”And I think people expect that off the field as well. That’s me on the football field. I play with a lot of passion. I work hard so I play hard. It’s only arrogance because of how the media has portrayed me.
Owen's on the fact that he has no home:
“I’m homeless,” said Owens who doesn’t expect to have a place before training camp. “I’ll be living out of a hotel for a few weeks.”
Owens also claimed he thinks of touchdown dances and moves before the night of the game, but says he never practices them....Let the Summer of T.O Begin
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Best Team Ever??
STANDINGS
18 National North STANDINGS as of 07/15/09
18 National North STANDINGS as of 07/15/09
Team W L T
NVBlues 8 2 0
OaktonOrioles 6 3 0
MGF Bandits 5 4 0
FairfaxRockies 5 5 0
Ballston Brewers 4 4 0
MGF Bandits 5 4 0
FairfaxRockies 5 5 0
Ballston Brewers 4 4 0
BeltwayBombers 4 6 0
Access Yardbirds 3 5 0
CentrevilleBlues 2 8 0
CentrevilleBlues 2 8 0
I suppose many of you are dying to know how the NV Blues are doing. Well take a look at the National North Standings and you will get a pretty good idea. The blues took a game from the Fairfax Rockies last night by a score of 5-3.
Only losses this year have come against the 2nd place Oakton Orioles (double header split), and the last place Centreville Blues. Bad loss against the 2-8 Blues, but we will chalk it up to being the first game of the season. We have swept the Bandits, one one against the Rockiest, and swept the Brewers last weekend. Can this Blues team be stopped??
After only a 4 win season last year this team has truly turned the corner and some of their young prospects have developed after a rigorous off season of training and calisthenics into full fledged ballplayers. This NV Blues team when they have their top guys in attendance are dangerous 1 through 9. Never have I seen a team assembled with such speed, power, situational hitting, and solid gloves.
A double header this Saturday, games Monday, Wednesday, and another two the following Saturday will be a huge test as arms will be short and legs will be sore. Oh Summer Baseball
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
"you ain't dunking on me in my camp!"
Enjoy this video clip. I am sure you have all heard of Bron Bron Gate. You know, Nike taking video footage at his own camp and destroying the evidence of him getting slammed on by a youngster.
Kobe Bryant sets the record straight. You will not come into my camp and dunk on me.
MLB First Half Review
As we have reached the All-Star break, Joe Mauer and Ichiro Suzuki have cooled off enough to where there's no longer much thought to either of them even flirting with .400 into August. That said, Mauer at .373 (with a surprising 15 homers in just 241 at-bats, good for the best slugging percentage of anyone outside Pujols and Ibanez) and Ichiro at .362 have put together some tremendous first halves.
What is going on in baseball? Are players back on the juice? Albert Pujols has 32 home runs. Adrian Gonzalez, Carlos Pena and Mark Reynolds (that's right) have 24. Some other big surprises include Russell Branyan with 22 (previous career high 20), Nelson Cruz 22, Raul Ibanez 22 in 259 at-bats, Brandon Inge 21 (previous career high 27), Aaron Hill 20 (previous career high 17, only time in double digits). I'll stop there but the list of surprises is deeper than that.
First Half AL MVP:
Has to be Joe Mauer to me. A catcher with a .373/.447 BA/OBP. Perhaps most amazing is his .622 slugging percentage, good for third best in baseball behind Pujols and Ibanez. Always an incredibly high average hitter, Mauer has always disappointed a bit when it comes to power and with just 3 homers in his past 35 games, he probably will end around 25. That said, he is probably a top-5 player in baseball and has been surprisingly underrated for someone so highly acclaimed coming out of high school where he allegedly only struck out once in his career.
My second choice? Ben Zobrist. Don't laugh, Ben Zobrist, it can be argued, should be the first half AL MVP. With a .297/.414/.598 line he has connected on 17 hr's and knocked in 52 RBI's playing second base for Tampa Bay. Incredible production out of a second baseman and while he can't continue, see his career - .222/.279/.370 with 23 homers in 364 games..the switch hitting utility man is keeping Tampa hanging with Boston and NY and we must marvel at what he has done so far, just a remarkable half. Third place I'll give Kevin Youkilis. .298/.419/.566 and 16 hr's despite missing some time. Youkilis is the centerpiece in one of baseball's best offenses. He will obviously pass Zobrist in the 2nd half, and has a chance to beat out Mauer, especially considering what little emphasis sports writers seem to place on position (unless that player is Dustin Pedroia).
First Half NL MVP:
Obviously, it is Albert Pujols. .332/.456/.723. 32 HR's, 87 RBI's, 73 Runs. He's even swiped 10 bags. 71 BB's to 35 K's. The man is just a freak. Might not be great in home run derbies, but far and away the last guy any pitcher wants to face. Speaking of Pujols, Bud Selig was on Mike and Mike today taking offense at all the "Pujols is a juicer" talk. Imagine, Bud Selig outraged people are claiming a player on steroids. Such a joke. Interesting to see if Pujols ends up breaking the HR record, he has never tested positive and has been tested virtually his entire career...his name has popped up with some of those lists but never turned out to end up on them. Very interesting case in the steroid era.
Second choice should be easy, but I don't see everyone saying it: Chase Utley. He is a second baseman that actually has better numbers than Zobrist, and here's a guy who should continue to put this type of line up: .313/.430/.573. 20 HR's.
There are some truly excellent choices in the NL, but I'll do the obvious and say Hanley Ramirez as a third choice. .349/.411/.567. Shortstops aren't supposed to be able to do that anymore.
Next would have to be Prince Fielder and his .442 OBP. Then Raul Ibanez and his .649 Slugging, who if he didn't get hurt may be 2nd.
First Half Al Cy Young:
Has to be Zack Greinke. I got into the pitching numbers a ton recently so I won't say much more but King Felix and Roy Halladay would probably be 2-3 in inverse order.
First Half NL Cy Young:
No surprise, Dan Haren for me. Tim Lincecum next, then everyone else.
Mulldog's Biggest Surprise:
Besides the Blue Jays flirting with .500 and Aaron Hill smacking 20 homers, I'd have to say Cleveland's 35-54 record. I thought they were the favorites to win the Central and while seeing the Tigers improve isn't a big shock, the Indians are perhaps baseball's biggest flop. Peralta can't hit. Sizemore had been terrible though is heating up. Their bullpen is a joke. Carl Pavano is the team's second best starter. What happened to the promising Indians everyone had been waiting to blossom the past few years? The ship may have sailed and the Indians might be baseball's biggest seller at this year's trade deadline.
Mulldog's First Half Flop:
The New York Amazings. That's right, the 4th place Amazings have been ravished by injury. While only 6.5 back of the Phils, they are three games under .500 - and that's after winning two straight headed to the break. The team they have rolled out some nights would be embarrassing for a AAA squad. Their darling Murphy not only has flopped as a hitter, he looks like the worst defensive player in baseball. Pelfrey, Maine, Perez...huge disappointments. Putz, disappointment. Livan Hernandez is throwing 75. K-Rod has actually been Hudini-good, and it should be interesting to see if he can continue with his smoke and mirrors act. This is a team that can look like baseball's best on paper with a bonafide ace in Johan, a top-tier closer in K-Rod, and a lineup with Reyes, Beltran, Wright and Delgado. When healthy and Delgado is hitting it's about as tough of a lineup to get through as any. As usual however, the team is underachieving and is looking likely to miss the playoffs, yet again. But hey, at least they might not choke at the end of this year...the opportunity might not even present itself.
Random Musings:
Speaking of Hanley Ramirez doing things shortstops aren't supposed to do "post-juice" era, how about a couple of that era's golden boy shortstops, with a huge '09 return act? Derek Jeter is hitting .321/.396 and has hit 10 homers. Perhaps more shocking is his 17 steals. He has 40 BB's to 41 K's so it appears he may be able to continue this pace if he doesn't wear down. Miguel Tejada meanwhile is hitting .329 with 30 doubles and 7 HR's. Nomar Garciaparra, not so resurgent. .253/.286 with 2 HR's in his first 79 at-bats of the season.
A forgotten story is the incredible pace of stolen bases Carl Crawford was on after the 6 steal game. While thoughts of 100 steals may be gone as he has slowed down, 44 steals in the first half is a huge number. Probably, Jacoby Ellsbury, will end up leading the majors in steals. He has 40 now and seems to take off every time he gets on base (which fortunately for Crawford still isn't all that much). How Bobby Abreu continues to do it with 19 steals in the first half is beyond me.
Millman and I are going to do another little cliche piece making some predictions on the second half, hopefully the AL and NL East races are as good as they could be on paper. And 3 of the other 4 divisions in baseball have 3+ teams within first place.
What is going on in baseball? Are players back on the juice? Albert Pujols has 32 home runs. Adrian Gonzalez, Carlos Pena and Mark Reynolds (that's right) have 24. Some other big surprises include Russell Branyan with 22 (previous career high 20), Nelson Cruz 22, Raul Ibanez 22 in 259 at-bats, Brandon Inge 21 (previous career high 27), Aaron Hill 20 (previous career high 17, only time in double digits). I'll stop there but the list of surprises is deeper than that.
First Half AL MVP:
Has to be Joe Mauer to me. A catcher with a .373/.447 BA/OBP. Perhaps most amazing is his .622 slugging percentage, good for third best in baseball behind Pujols and Ibanez. Always an incredibly high average hitter, Mauer has always disappointed a bit when it comes to power and with just 3 homers in his past 35 games, he probably will end around 25. That said, he is probably a top-5 player in baseball and has been surprisingly underrated for someone so highly acclaimed coming out of high school where he allegedly only struck out once in his career.
My second choice? Ben Zobrist. Don't laugh, Ben Zobrist, it can be argued, should be the first half AL MVP. With a .297/.414/.598 line he has connected on 17 hr's and knocked in 52 RBI's playing second base for Tampa Bay. Incredible production out of a second baseman and while he can't continue, see his career - .222/.279/.370 with 23 homers in 364 games..the switch hitting utility man is keeping Tampa hanging with Boston and NY and we must marvel at what he has done so far, just a remarkable half. Third place I'll give Kevin Youkilis. .298/.419/.566 and 16 hr's despite missing some time. Youkilis is the centerpiece in one of baseball's best offenses. He will obviously pass Zobrist in the 2nd half, and has a chance to beat out Mauer, especially considering what little emphasis sports writers seem to place on position (unless that player is Dustin Pedroia).First Half NL MVP:
Obviously, it is Albert Pujols. .332/.456/.723. 32 HR's, 87 RBI's, 73 Runs. He's even swiped 10 bags. 71 BB's to 35 K's. The man is just a freak. Might not be great in home run derbies, but far and away the last guy any pitcher wants to face. Speaking of Pujols, Bud Selig was on Mike and Mike today taking offense at all the "Pujols is a juicer" talk. Imagine, Bud Selig outraged people are claiming a player on steroids. Such a joke. Interesting to see if Pujols ends up breaking the HR record, he has never tested positive and has been tested virtually his entire career...his name has popped up with some of those lists but never turned out to end up on them. Very interesting case in the steroid era.
Second choice should be easy, but I don't see everyone saying it: Chase Utley. He is a second baseman that actually has better numbers than Zobrist, and here's a guy who should continue to put this type of line up: .313/.430/.573. 20 HR's.
There are some truly excellent choices in the NL, but I'll do the obvious and say Hanley Ramirez as a third choice. .349/.411/.567. Shortstops aren't supposed to be able to do that anymore.
Next would have to be Prince Fielder and his .442 OBP. Then Raul Ibanez and his .649 Slugging, who if he didn't get hurt may be 2nd.
First Half Al Cy Young:
Has to be Zack Greinke. I got into the pitching numbers a ton recently so I won't say much more but King Felix and Roy Halladay would probably be 2-3 in inverse order.
First Half NL Cy Young:
No surprise, Dan Haren for me. Tim Lincecum next, then everyone else.
Mulldog's Biggest Surprise:
Besides the Blue Jays flirting with .500 and Aaron Hill smacking 20 homers, I'd have to say Cleveland's 35-54 record. I thought they were the favorites to win the Central and while seeing the Tigers improve isn't a big shock, the Indians are perhaps baseball's biggest flop. Peralta can't hit. Sizemore had been terrible though is heating up. Their bullpen is a joke. Carl Pavano is the team's second best starter. What happened to the promising Indians everyone had been waiting to blossom the past few years? The ship may have sailed and the Indians might be baseball's biggest seller at this year's trade deadline.Mulldog's First Half Flop:
The New York Amazings. That's right, the 4th place Amazings have been ravished by injury. While only 6.5 back of the Phils, they are three games under .500 - and that's after winning two straight headed to the break. The team they have rolled out some nights would be embarrassing for a AAA squad. Their darling Murphy not only has flopped as a hitter, he looks like the worst defensive player in baseball. Pelfrey, Maine, Perez...huge disappointments. Putz, disappointment. Livan Hernandez is throwing 75. K-Rod has actually been Hudini-good, and it should be interesting to see if he can continue with his smoke and mirrors act. This is a team that can look like baseball's best on paper with a bonafide ace in Johan, a top-tier closer in K-Rod, and a lineup with Reyes, Beltran, Wright and Delgado. When healthy and Delgado is hitting it's about as tough of a lineup to get through as any. As usual however, the team is underachieving and is looking likely to miss the playoffs, yet again. But hey, at least they might not choke at the end of this year...the opportunity might not even present itself.
Random Musings:
Speaking of Hanley Ramirez doing things shortstops aren't supposed to do "post-juice" era, how about a couple of that era's golden boy shortstops, with a huge '09 return act? Derek Jeter is hitting .321/.396 and has hit 10 homers. Perhaps more shocking is his 17 steals. He has 40 BB's to 41 K's so it appears he may be able to continue this pace if he doesn't wear down. Miguel Tejada meanwhile is hitting .329 with 30 doubles and 7 HR's. Nomar Garciaparra, not so resurgent. .253/.286 with 2 HR's in his first 79 at-bats of the season.A forgotten story is the incredible pace of stolen bases Carl Crawford was on after the 6 steal game. While thoughts of 100 steals may be gone as he has slowed down, 44 steals in the first half is a huge number. Probably, Jacoby Ellsbury, will end up leading the majors in steals. He has 40 now and seems to take off every time he gets on base (which fortunately for Crawford still isn't all that much). How Bobby Abreu continues to do it with 19 steals in the first half is beyond me.
Millman and I are going to do another little cliche piece making some predictions on the second half, hopefully the AL and NL East races are as good as they could be on paper. And 3 of the other 4 divisions in baseball have 3+ teams within first place.
Home Run Derby and Celebrity All Star Game
Good to see Prince Fielder win it. The man was hitting some mammoth blasts. And there is no way there is a more fun player to watch in a home run derby. He swings so big, every time. Nelson Cruz actually probably hit the prettiest balls for what that's worth. Still not sure why Bud Selig didn't call me before Brandon Inge. Glad to see the NL get the win after the embarrassment of a lineup the AL flew in with.
As for all the ball tracking stuff. Let's face it, the ball tracker was juiced. Balls landing about 20 steps past second base were being charted at 345 feet. And apparently Prince Fielder hit a 503 foot knuckle ball. Consider me skeptical.
As for the rules, using total home runs, it's stupid. The second round was a complete bore. If you're going to set it up tournament style, then each round needs to be a clean slate. Otherwise just have everyone hit two rounds and the top score wins.
Nelly winning the Celebrity All Star Game might be a bigger comeback spot than me making the Dean's List. All I really saw was the final play where Ashanti got doubled up on a routine fly ball to center field. Terrible baserunning, would expect Ashanti to be a cerebral player on the basepaths. Guess not.
Monday, July 13, 2009
Sometimes Life is Funny
Seeing that I received something from Fredonia in the mail today, I had only one thought, "With one week until the completion of my internship and subsequently my degree, SUNY Fredonia has finally wisened up and kicked me out of school." Untrue, as it turned out. In fact, Fredonia was - yet again - praising the Mulldog. Ladies and gentlemen, children of all ages, today I accept Fredonia's selection of yours truly, the Mulldog, as Comeback Student of the Year:
"The Mulldog would like to thank his girlfriend (shocking to readers, the Mulldog knows). Funny how the Mulldog was a regular Dean's Lister for the beginning his collegiate career, collecting a cumulative 3.6 GPA. Then he broke up with his ex-girlfriend, became one of Fred's pewchest, never saw the Dean's List again and stayed on extra semesters. Low and behold, Spring '09, the Mulldog suckers a lady into dating him and there he is, cold lampin' with the SUNY Fredonia Humanitites Dean, Mr. John K-Something. Thank you and best wishes, may we never meet again."
"The Mulldog would like to thank his girlfriend (shocking to readers, the Mulldog knows). Funny how the Mulldog was a regular Dean's Lister for the beginning his collegiate career, collecting a cumulative 3.6 GPA. Then he broke up with his ex-girlfriend, became one of Fred's pewchest, never saw the Dean's List again and stayed on extra semesters. Low and behold, Spring '09, the Mulldog suckers a lady into dating him and there he is, cold lampin' with the SUNY Fredonia Humanitites Dean, Mr. John K-Something. Thank you and best wishes, may we never meet again."
Brock Lesnar
I can't give to much of a detailed review because I didn't watch the fight. But as I am sure we have all heard, what took place after the fight was much more exciting.
Brock Lesnar decided to apparently flip off the crowd after they were booing him for getting in the face of the cat he just knocked out. Then when they went to interview him he told them "keep booing" and decided to trash on the UFC's biggest sponsor, Bud Light...saying he would be drinking Coors Light tonight or something. Then he apologized and showed up at the press conference drinking a Bud Light.
I gather that this guy he knocked out had beaten him before, that he was a douchebag who talked an insane amount of trash before the match, and that this unified the belt.
Apologies if that is a lot more boring than the actual incident..I guess he was going wild saying all sorts of ridiculous stuff...Millman had to run and this is what happens when he asks me to finish a story on the UFC though.. I give a half-assed effort and basically am just quoting an IM conversation from reader Dave Jr. Props.
Brock Lesnar decided to apparently flip off the crowd after they were booing him for getting in the face of the cat he just knocked out. Then when they went to interview him he told them "keep booing" and decided to trash on the UFC's biggest sponsor, Bud Light...saying he would be drinking Coors Light tonight or something. Then he apologized and showed up at the press conference drinking a Bud Light.
I gather that this guy he knocked out had beaten him before, that he was a douchebag who talked an insane amount of trash before the match, and that this unified the belt.
Apologies if that is a lot more boring than the actual incident..I guess he was going wild saying all sorts of ridiculous stuff...Millman had to run and this is what happens when he asks me to finish a story on the UFC though.. I give a half-assed effort and basically am just quoting an IM conversation from reader Dave Jr. Props.
Weekend RoundUp
Nothing happened this weekend. Nothing at all. Just a boring weekend in sports unless you care about Dustin Pedroia and Johnathan Broxton not playing in the all-star game. The Angels waxed the Yanks to no surprise. Johnathan Sanchez threw a no-hitter.
The home run derby is composed of Brandon Inge (disgusting), Carlos Pena, Nelson Cruz, Joe Mauer (what a terrible lineup for the AL, couldn't be more bored with this, though Cruz could hit some bombs). The NL has a bit of juice however with Adrian Gonzalez, Prince Fielder, Ryan Howard and Albert Pujols. What happened to the AL being this huge powerhouse, that looks about as lopsided as the early 2000's East vs West NBA All-Star games.
Boxer Arturo Gotti allegedly was strangled to death by his wife's purse, irony? The Gatti-Ward matches are the stuff of legend, very strange end to the career of a noted "warrior."
Anyway, the Millman and I will be posting a first-half baseball review. Should be a pretty extensive review of the year so far that hopefully touches on some things people are ignoring. Be on the lookout for that possibly tonight, but probably tomorrow morning.
The home run derby is composed of Brandon Inge (disgusting), Carlos Pena, Nelson Cruz, Joe Mauer (what a terrible lineup for the AL, couldn't be more bored with this, though Cruz could hit some bombs). The NL has a bit of juice however with Adrian Gonzalez, Prince Fielder, Ryan Howard and Albert Pujols. What happened to the AL being this huge powerhouse, that looks about as lopsided as the early 2000's East vs West NBA All-Star games.
Boxer Arturo Gotti allegedly was strangled to death by his wife's purse, irony? The Gatti-Ward matches are the stuff of legend, very strange end to the career of a noted "warrior."
Anyway, the Millman and I will be posting a first-half baseball review. Should be a pretty extensive review of the year so far that hopefully touches on some things people are ignoring. Be on the lookout for that possibly tonight, but probably tomorrow morning.
Friday, July 10, 2009
In-Game Tweeting on Their Twitters
With the recent comments by Ocho Cinco that he will be twittering in-game this season and a tennis player (whose name I didn't catch) apparently doing just that in a recent match (against Andy Roddick? Thought he was taking time off? This was on at about 7 a.m. on espn, forgive me for being confused)...it begs the question where do we draw the line? Shaq and Vill a no way va apparently tweeted in-game last season as well.
The thing is, to me, the only interesting potential of twitter is just this type of thing. I refuse to admit such a short attention span and look at anyone's, much less get my own twitter...but come on, tell me you really aren't interested in hearing what Ocho Cinco has to tweet in-game. Players obviously don't have the time to blog in-game, but a quick tweet would be possible and I'm sure of much interest to fans.
While I expect the NFL to configure some sort of rule that blocks a player from doing this, it might only be a matter of time before players are tweeting updates in-game. Mildly interesting development to follow I suppose.
The thing is, to me, the only interesting potential of twitter is just this type of thing. I refuse to admit such a short attention span and look at anyone's, much less get my own twitter...but come on, tell me you really aren't interested in hearing what Ocho Cinco has to tweet in-game. Players obviously don't have the time to blog in-game, but a quick tweet would be possible and I'm sure of much interest to fans.While I expect the NFL to configure some sort of rule that blocks a player from doing this, it might only be a matter of time before players are tweeting updates in-game. Mildly interesting development to follow I suppose.
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Andruw Sighting...?
There was an Andruw Jones sighting last night in a Major League Baseball Game...
The 32 year has not been heard from in some time after eating himself out of the majors, and I suppose performance enhancing drugs could have some play in as well, but I refuse to admit that. Andruw Jones was a brilliant player when he came up during the Braves World Series appearance as a young prospect. He continued to rack up gold glove after gold glove and solidified the braves Center Field position for years. There was nothing better than watching Bravos games with the Jones boys batting back to back bruising the ball over the park. Jones fell, and fell hard and the Braves cut ties with him. He signed a monster 30+ Million dollar deal with the Dodgers and forgot how to play baseball and looked like Mo Vaughn at the plate with the weight he put on.
He is now playing ball for $500K (plus all the money the Dodgers owe him) for the Rangers. Last night the man went old school Andruw J and belted 3 HRs. Granted this could have just been a lucky game, or a fluke...but its promising to see him start to get back on track and get some more confidence at the plate..
Hopefully he can continue to pick it up and get some more starts for this Rangers squad...and return to a respective level. He is only 32 and deserves to resurface so we can all remember what an unreal talent and CF he once was and hopefully can be again.
The Bears are who we thought they were!!!
We are in Summer right now, but come the Fall is the best season of them all. The start of football will begin this Fall, and I am not talking about the NFL. Thats right, fall 2009 will be the inaugural season of the United Football League (UFL). If you are not pumped up for football on Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Friday evenings...not to mention a competing league in the NFL that will struggle to stay alive with the UFLs destined greatness, then I don't know whats wrong.
The best part of the UFL? How about a championship game on Thanksgiving weekend. Finally some meaningful Thanksgiving football instead of watching a pathetic Lions organization getting drubbed at Ford Field by whoever they are slated to play.
Here is a quick run-down of the four team league:
UFL Las Vegas:
This Las Vegas squad will be coached by former Giants coach Jim Fassel. Apparently the UFL is where you go after being rejected by Al Davis and the Raiders, though some would say Fassel made out better going to the UFL as opposed to the Raiders' wasteland.
The big story line with this Vegas team is the report stemming from the Olean Times Herald that they have interest in former Bills QB J.P Losman. Other notable players on the Las Vegas team: Adam Archuleta, former first round draft pick Wendall Bryant, and linebacker Brandon Moore formerly of the 49ers. Star Studded team.
UFL New York:
This NY squad will be coached by former defensive coordinator for a numerous amount of teams (Bills, Jets, Chargers, Vikings) Ted Cottrell. They may play some of their home games at Citi Field, so good news there since the Mets are so terrible there actually might be a real professional team getting some action at the new venue. Notable players on the NY team: Ken Dorsey, Cecil Sapp, Lebrandon Toefield, Yuck.
UFL Orlando:
This Orlando squad will be coached by former Saints and Rams head Coach Jim Haslett. Haslett was also a former NFL player for the Buffalo Bills back in the day. Apparently you need to have a tie to Buffalo to have any consideration to coach/play in the UFL. Haslett shouldn't worry much about his future success in the UFL because when you have Brooks Bollinger at the helm, nothing can really go wrong. Other notable players on this Orlando team are RB Chris Perry, TE Jermaine Wiggins, Larry Tripplett, and SS Mike Doss. I believe it is this UFL Orlando Squad who is looking to potentially pick up Mike Vick which would bring some serious credential and hype to the league. UFL commish Michael Huyghue was quoted that Vick had a 98 percent chance to play in this league in 2009.
UFL SanFranciso:
The Orlando Squad is coached by Dennis "The Bears are who we thought they were" Green. Green may have the worst squad out of any of these disgusting teams as he will rely on QB Tim Rattay, RB Obafemi Ayanbedejo, WR B.J. Sams, and thats pretty much it.
Lets see if the UFL picks up any steam and can hang around and get a little attention. My guess is it going to need Mike Vick join the league to get any play on the airwaves, but god knows I will buy any package that shows games if it means I can watch JP Losman play. Favorite player of all time. UFL Vegas jersey is in the mail.
Here is the sad part, not that these guys are geniuses, or great head coaches, but they aren't shabby. Jim Fassel, Ted Cottrell, Jim Haslett, and Dennis Green actually are a pretty impressive staff of Head Coaches for this league in Year 1.
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Air McNair
As details of what appears to be a murder-suicide regarding the death of Steve McNair shake out, lets re-evaluate McNair's on field performance. Granted he was a tough, gritty, competitor and a huge impact on Nashville sports which truly had no iconic sports figures since it is a fairly new city when it comes to professional football (and hockey).
Lets look at the superlatives to start. McNair took his teams to the playoffs five times throughout his career (Titans 4, Ravens 1). He played in one Superbowl, and would have been a SuperBowl winner if it weren't for a one yard stop by the Rams. He was a three time pro-bowler and an All-PRO and Co-MVP with Peyton Manning in 2003.
Forget his stats actually. The year McNair took the Titans to the Superbowl was the year of the Music City Miracle where the infamous no call was made on an illegal forward pass. The Bills would have been sure to go far that year in the playoffs had it not been for a ridiculous, cheating play in the closing seconds. The bills have not been to the playoffs since.
RIP #9
Thursday, July 2, 2009
When Pewch Men Travel
Just got off the phone with the Millman, he wanted me to post about his incredibly ominous trip to Vegas. From what I recall of a laundry list of mishaps along the way:
He got to the D.C. airport around 6 p.m. last night for a direct flight to Vegas. They kept delaying the flight a half-hour until finally at 10 canceling it, but trying to find the would-be travelers an alternative flight plan. At 11, they told them to come back 7:30 a.m. the next morning they'd have a flight to Boston to Phoenix and then to Vegas, ETA 3 p.m.
Millman went home (after I believe spending a few hours at the airport bar), steps back in this morning (Thursday) and the flight to Boston is delayed, when they finally get there he missed his connection and they, for some reason, rush him onto a flight to Philly. When he gets there he hops on a flight to Phoenix, though he doesn't have a ticket from Phoenix to Vegas, he feels getting out west is the best play at this point...when he finally arrives in Phoenix he has to order a new ticket from Southwest to get from there to Vegas, 4:45 flight, which he then gets bumped from and is currently waiting to (hopefully) catch a later flight and get in Vegas before tomorrow comes.
Just a pewch man making a pewch trip to do pewch things (I'm sure).
Update** Millman's latest flight experiencing mechanical difficulties. Could God scream at you any louder to stay out of Vegas? Something tells me Millman is too pewchtermined to get to Vegas and fulfill his manipewch destiny of losing a fortune and completing the all-time most miserable Vegas experience by anyone who didn't return home married or dead.
Update Part II** Breaks don't work, flight canceled. I'm assured by him that this is all fact. By the way, it should be mentioned that we had talked about betting on the women's tennis this morning (he was going to lay down some action when he got in last night) and decided the Williams sisters were too strong, but that the bet was actually Venus/Safina under 21 total games. 6-1, 6-0. Would've nailed it.
Update Part III** Mullman has in fact touched down, limo in wait - and I feel I gave him some strong Wimbledon plays to consider at the sports book. Hopefully his luck has turned.
The Best Closer in Baseball?
After Mariano Rivera recently notched his 500th save and with the starting pitcher post, I started to think about who the best Closer in baseball is today. I think we can all agree all-time that Rivera is the best, with Trevor Hoffman ranking second. But let's look at what the best closers in the game have done so far this year:
Heath Bell and Brian Fuentes lead the MLB with 22 saves each. Joe Nathan, Fransisco Rodriguez and Brian Wilson are next with 21. Johnathan Papelbon and Mariano Rivera each have 20.
Heath Bell, Joe Nathan, K-Rod, Papelbon, Fransisco Cordero, Ryan Franklin, Revor Hoffman, David Aardsma all have over 15 saves with an ERA under 2.
Who is really having the best season though?
Enter Johnathan Broxton and his 2.15 ERA. 19/21 on save opportunities, he is 6-0 with an astounding 62 strikeouts in 37.2 IP. Allowing just 16 hits, he has walked 13 batters.
Those are some gaudy statistics, and yet Broxton doesn't seem to get as much publicity as some of the other closers. Perhaps that is because, like W/L record for starters, people still overrate save totals for closers. He can't give himself the opportunity to close out a game, he can only do so when he gets the chance.
Heath Bell has a 1.34 ERA, but with 20 hits, 14 BBs, 36 Ks in 33.2 IP, in no way has he been anything but more fortunate than Broxton (Petco Park anyone?)
Rivera, for all the talk of him not being what he once was, is actually turning in a fine season...despite a 2.76 ERA, he is 20/21 in save opportunities, allowing 28 hits in 32.2 IP, but putting up a ridiculous (even for him) 40/3 K/BB rate. His 5 home runs allowed, is likely a bit of a product of Yankee Stadium turning into Coors Field as well.
The other guy having a truly tremendous season is, of course, Joe Nathan. A 1.44 ERA, he has converted 21/23 save opps. In 31.1 IP, he has allowed 18 hits and just 6 walks to 39 Ks.
While we keep hearing about Heath Bell, Brian Fuentes, K-Rod and Papelbon, I dare say Rivera, Nathan and Broxton have been head and shoulders ahead of the rest of the closers in the Majors.
Heath Bell and Brian Fuentes lead the MLB with 22 saves each. Joe Nathan, Fransisco Rodriguez and Brian Wilson are next with 21. Johnathan Papelbon and Mariano Rivera each have 20.
Heath Bell, Joe Nathan, K-Rod, Papelbon, Fransisco Cordero, Ryan Franklin, Revor Hoffman, David Aardsma all have over 15 saves with an ERA under 2.
Who is really having the best season though?
Enter Johnathan Broxton and his 2.15 ERA. 19/21 on save opportunities, he is 6-0 with an astounding 62 strikeouts in 37.2 IP. Allowing just 16 hits, he has walked 13 batters.
Those are some gaudy statistics, and yet Broxton doesn't seem to get as much publicity as some of the other closers. Perhaps that is because, like W/L record for starters, people still overrate save totals for closers. He can't give himself the opportunity to close out a game, he can only do so when he gets the chance.
Heath Bell has a 1.34 ERA, but with 20 hits, 14 BBs, 36 Ks in 33.2 IP, in no way has he been anything but more fortunate than Broxton (Petco Park anyone?)
Rivera, for all the talk of him not being what he once was, is actually turning in a fine season...despite a 2.76 ERA, he is 20/21 in save opportunities, allowing 28 hits in 32.2 IP, but putting up a ridiculous (even for him) 40/3 K/BB rate. His 5 home runs allowed, is likely a bit of a product of Yankee Stadium turning into Coors Field as well.
The other guy having a truly tremendous season is, of course, Joe Nathan. A 1.44 ERA, he has converted 21/23 save opps. In 31.1 IP, he has allowed 18 hits and just 6 walks to 39 Ks.
While we keep hearing about Heath Bell, Brian Fuentes, K-Rod and Papelbon, I dare say Rivera, Nathan and Broxton have been head and shoulders ahead of the rest of the closers in the Majors.
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
The Best Starting Pitcher in Baseball?
After last night pitching yet another gem, going 7 innings, allowing one run, striking out eight, walking just one, while going 2-2 with a double and a homer (.286 on the season), I got to wondering - is there a better starting pitcher than Dan Haren in baseball? And why do we never hear about him as much as the other big names? He has a .81 WHIP in 115 innings as a starter so far this year, that is absolutely insane.
Zack Greinke: 1.95 ERA, 1.02 WHIP, 8.9 K/9, 6.3 K/BB
Dan Haren: 2.19 ERA, 0.81 WHIP, 8.8 K/9, 7.5 K/BB
Tim Lincecum: 2.37 ERA, 1.07 WHIP, 10.4 K/9, 4.7 K/BB
Felix Hernandez:2.54 ERA, 1.17 WHIP, 8.8 K/9, 3.3 K/BB
Roy Halladay: 2.56 ERA, 1.05 WHIP, 7.8 K/9, 6.8 K/BB
Matt Cain: 2.57 ERA, 1.23 WHIP, 7.5 K/9, 2.1 K/BB
Jered Weaver: 2.65 ERA, 1.10 WHIP, 7.3 K/9, 2.6 K/BB
Josh Johnson: 2.76 ERA, 1.08 WHIP, 7.6 K/9, 3.4 K/BB
Yovani Gallardo:2.86 ERA, 1.16 WHIP, 9.4 K/9, 2.3 K/BB
Javier Vazquez: 3.04 ERA, 1.06 WHIP, 10.6 K/9, 5.4 K/BB
Johan Santana: 3.34 ERA, 1.26 WHIP, 9.2 K/9, 3.1 K/BB
Justin Verlander:3.4 ERA, 1.20 WHIP, 10.8 K/9, 3.7 K/BB
Josh Beckett: 3.48 ERA, 1.23 WHIP, 8.6 K/9, 2.9 K/BB
CC Sabathia: 3.55 ERA, 1.09 WHIP, 6.44 K/9, 2.5 K/BB
That is a pretty good lineup of insanely good pitching performances so far this year. I even excluded a number of guys with sparkling ERAs since I am fully confident they are flukes - Edwin Jackson, Kevin Milwood, Jair Jurjjens, Johnny Cueto, Zack Duke, Doug Davis, Nick Blackburn, Joel Piniero to name a bunch. I prefer K/9 and K/BB to the traditional counting statistics because it shows how efficient pitchers are performing, while there is something to be said about eating up innings, for the most part these guys are doing a fairly similar job in IP per start.
Tim Lincecum holds the major league lead with 132 strikeouts, Javier Vazquez is next with 125 strikeouts, ahead of Justin Verlander with 124.
I believe Roy Halladay, 10-2, and Zaxk Greinke, 10-3, are the only pitchers with double-digit wins so far, Matt Cain, Chad Billingsley, Johan Santana and Josh Beckett each have 9.
Interestingly, while Haren has been the best pitcher so far, with a quality start in 15/16 starts, he is only 7-5... and that's after his win last night. A quality start is awarded when a pitcher goes at least 6 innings allowing 3 runs or fewer. Haren leads the majors in Quality Start percentage at 94%. Josh Johnson is next with an 88% (14 QS in 16 starts). Billingsley is 14/17, Lincecum and Greinke are each 13/16, Cliff Lee 13/17.
Alright, so there are a bunch of stats with Haren probably grading out the best, then Greinke, then Halladay, then Vazquez, then Lincecum, then Verlander. But who would you take if you had to win just one game? Would it be Haren? I dare say based on this season's performance (not to mention pitching in a hitter's park), I would take Haren. Roy Halladay, however, has done it for so long now, that I would probably take him, gun to the head. My third choice would probably be Lincecum...and I probably wouldn't take Greinke, Vazquez or Verlander before Johan or CC.
Zack Greinke: 1.95 ERA, 1.02 WHIP, 8.9 K/9, 6.3 K/BB
Dan Haren: 2.19 ERA, 0.81 WHIP, 8.8 K/9, 7.5 K/BB
Tim Lincecum: 2.37 ERA, 1.07 WHIP, 10.4 K/9, 4.7 K/BB
Felix Hernandez:2.54 ERA, 1.17 WHIP, 8.8 K/9, 3.3 K/BB
Roy Halladay: 2.56 ERA, 1.05 WHIP, 7.8 K/9, 6.8 K/BB
Matt Cain: 2.57 ERA, 1.23 WHIP, 7.5 K/9, 2.1 K/BB
Jered Weaver: 2.65 ERA, 1.10 WHIP, 7.3 K/9, 2.6 K/BB
Josh Johnson: 2.76 ERA, 1.08 WHIP, 7.6 K/9, 3.4 K/BB
Yovani Gallardo:2.86 ERA, 1.16 WHIP, 9.4 K/9, 2.3 K/BB
Javier Vazquez: 3.04 ERA, 1.06 WHIP, 10.6 K/9, 5.4 K/BB
Johan Santana: 3.34 ERA, 1.26 WHIP, 9.2 K/9, 3.1 K/BB
Justin Verlander:3.4 ERA, 1.20 WHIP, 10.8 K/9, 3.7 K/BB
Josh Beckett: 3.48 ERA, 1.23 WHIP, 8.6 K/9, 2.9 K/BB
CC Sabathia: 3.55 ERA, 1.09 WHIP, 6.44 K/9, 2.5 K/BB
That is a pretty good lineup of insanely good pitching performances so far this year. I even excluded a number of guys with sparkling ERAs since I am fully confident they are flukes - Edwin Jackson, Kevin Milwood, Jair Jurjjens, Johnny Cueto, Zack Duke, Doug Davis, Nick Blackburn, Joel Piniero to name a bunch. I prefer K/9 and K/BB to the traditional counting statistics because it shows how efficient pitchers are performing, while there is something to be said about eating up innings, for the most part these guys are doing a fairly similar job in IP per start.
Tim Lincecum holds the major league lead with 132 strikeouts, Javier Vazquez is next with 125 strikeouts, ahead of Justin Verlander with 124.
I believe Roy Halladay, 10-2, and Zaxk Greinke, 10-3, are the only pitchers with double-digit wins so far, Matt Cain, Chad Billingsley, Johan Santana and Josh Beckett each have 9.
Interestingly, while Haren has been the best pitcher so far, with a quality start in 15/16 starts, he is only 7-5... and that's after his win last night. A quality start is awarded when a pitcher goes at least 6 innings allowing 3 runs or fewer. Haren leads the majors in Quality Start percentage at 94%. Josh Johnson is next with an 88% (14 QS in 16 starts). Billingsley is 14/17, Lincecum and Greinke are each 13/16, Cliff Lee 13/17.
Alright, so there are a bunch of stats with Haren probably grading out the best, then Greinke, then Halladay, then Vazquez, then Lincecum, then Verlander. But who would you take if you had to win just one game? Would it be Haren? I dare say based on this season's performance (not to mention pitching in a hitter's park), I would take Haren. Roy Halladay, however, has done it for so long now, that I would probably take him, gun to the head. My third choice would probably be Lincecum...and I probably wouldn't take Greinke, Vazquez or Verlander before Johan or CC.
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